Biofuels and Bioenergy: Developing The Infrastructure for Global Change

A mini-symposium sponsored by the Boyce Thompson Institute

On December 14, 2007, BTI hosted a mini-symposium entitled “Biofuels and Bioenergy: Developing the Infrastructure for Global Change.” The symposium featured speakers from Cornell University, the Cornell Agricultural Experiment Station at Geneva, the campus Institute for Genomic Diversity, and the Carnegie Institute of Science at Stanford University.

The speakers covered a wide variety of topics related to bioenergy, including the use of sorghum and switchgrass, New York’s production of biofeedstocks, the use of geospatial modeling in biomass feedstock production, the role of the Geneva Experiment Station, and an overview of the economics of biofuels.

A highlight of the day was Jocelyn Rose’s announcement of the “Cornell Initiative for Sustainable Bioenergy Crops.” The principal objective of the new initiative is to encourage the development of bioenergy. With BTI as a partner, the Cornell Initiative will sponsor a seminar series that will bring scientists, investors and politicians to the campus, providing insight into the major scientific issues and funding available to faculty and students. The Initiative will also provide a portal for outsiders to learn about bioenergy-related activities and research on the campus, and it will develop new bioenergy courses for students. Cornell also recently established the “Center for a Sustainable Future,” which has a broader, but overlapping, mission. These two new programs reinforce BTI and Cornell’s commitment to sustainability in research and in practice.

Biofuels and Bioenergy: Developing The Infrastructure for Global Change

A mini-symposium sponsored by the Boyce Thompson Institute

Listen to the Speakers